Politics

GOP Candidate Who Defeated Rep. Sanford Injured In Car Wreck

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South Carolina Republican congressional candidate Katie Arrington was injured in a car accident late Friday night, days after defeating incumbent Rep. Mark Sanford for the party’s nomination.

Arrington was in the passenger seat of a car heading toward Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, when her vehicle was struck by a car driving in the wrong lane, the Post and Courier reports.

Joe Cunningham, the Democratic nominee running against Arrington, said in a tweet that he is “suspending all campaign activities until further notice.”

We are suspending all campaign activities until further notice. https://t.co/yigZupPoLz

— Joe Cunningham (@JoeCunninghamSC) June 23, 2018

Arrington suffered a fractured spine and several broken ribs, and other injuries will need major surgery. She will likely undergo a major procedure to remove part of her small intestine and place a stint in her leg, according to campaign spokesman Michael Mule

She is expected to recover in the hospital for two weeks, and doctors say her good health is responsible for the positive outlook. “There’s not many people as tough as Katie Arrington,” Mule said.

The driver of the other vehicle was killed in the crash.

Arrington defeated Sanford, a third-term congressman and former South Carolina governor, with 51.2 percent of the vote the state’s June 12 primary. Trump announced his support for Arrington in a tweet hours before the polls closed, saying Sanford had “been very unhelpful to me in my campaign to MAGA.” (RELATED: Katie Arrington Defeats Mark Sanford In GOP Primary Hours After Trump Endorsement)

Editor’s note: This post has been updated to reflect Sanford is a third-time congressman 

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